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Pro-Business Ivan Duque Wins Colombian Presidency

Senator vowed to loosen regulations and fight drug trade, while opponent wanted a bigger role for the state in the economy

By

Juan Forero and

Daniela Ramirez

Updated June 17, 2018 9:30 p.m. ET

BOGOTÁ, Colombia—Ivan Duque, a 41-year-old lawyer who spent much of his working life in Washington policy circles, was handily elected president in a vote that is expected to usher in a rightward shift in a country that has been struggling as it emerges from a long guerrilla conflict.

Mr. Duque, a market-friendly senator who pledges to loosen regulations for businesses and aggressively fight the drug trade, won 10.3 million votes on Sunday, 54% of the total, with nearly all voting stations reporting. He will become the country’s...